Why not “Interactive Theatre”?

If the activity of the audience is key to a true immersive theatre experience, why don’t we call the genre “interactive theatre”? Isn’t that a better description?

Because I wince when I hear “interactive theatre,” and so do you. The phrase conjures up images of campy murder-mystery dinner-theatres, children’s shows, and theatre that entertains the audience by dragging an audience member on stage and picking on them for the amusement of others.

Why does interactive theatre suck? When you pluck out an audience member from the safety of their seat and invite them to participate, it makes that person ferociously self-conscious. Once content in their passivity, now they’re suddenly under the spotlight, while the cast is seemingly chanting “Dance, monkey, dance!” It’s embarrassing. Nobody likes that.

Killing self-consciousness

Self-consciousness is the enemy of the actor, and in immersive theatre, self-consciousness also becomes the enemy of the audience. Building a world around the audience as only immersive theatre does makes it possible for the audience to act naturally in a way they never could in a traditional theatre. In sophisticated works of immersive theatre, you never feel like you’re under the spotlight because…

1. The world is richly detailed, thus making make-believe for an adult less embarrassing.
2. The world lacks the seat-stage divide (one zone is safe, the other is scary) so you never have that awkward transition from passive to active-mode.
3. The rest of the audience is well-dispersed, so a bunch of people aren’t there just to watch you.
4. You’re so busy doing the thing you need to do in the world that there’s no time to feel self-conscious.
   (More on Meisner theory in immersive theatre to come.)

When I speak of The Man From Beyond to someone who hasn’t played yet, I often have to assuage their fears of embarrassment. No one will be watching, judging, and calling you stupid, I promise. Besides, you’ll be too busy doing things to even think of that!

I regret that we cannot reclaim “interactive theatre,” but most people don’t think of “interactivity” in the context of theatre as a good thing. Get them through your doors under any other terms, and then they’ll know that interacting in theatre is FREAKING AMAZING.